A student was investigating the difference in wavelength of a bass guitar and a whistle. The student noticed that the frequency of the whistle was high, and the bass guitar had a low frequency. Given the students' information and the model below, what is the difference in wavelength for each instrument and explain how frequency affects the wavelength?
The frequency of a wave is the number of complete cycles of the wave that pass a certain point per second. It is measured in Hertz (Hz).
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two corresponding points on the wave, such as from one peak to the next peak. It is measured in meters (m).
The model mentioned in the question is the relationship between wavelength, frequency, and the speed of a wave. The model states that the wavelength of a wave is inversely proportional to its frequency. This means that as the frequency of a wave increases, its wavelength decreases, and vice versa.
In the case of the bass guitar and the whistle, the student noticed that the whistle had a high frequency and the bass guitar had a low frequency. This means that the whistle has more complete cycles passing a certain point per second compared to the bass guitar.
According to the model, because the frequency of the whistle is high, its wavelength will be smaller. This means that the distance between two corresponding points on the whistle's wave (such as from one peak to the next peak) will be shorter.
On the other hand, because the frequency of the bass guitar is low, its wavelength will be larger. This means that the distance between two corresponding points on the bass guitar's wave (such as from one peak to the next peak) will be longer.
Therefore, the difference in wavelength between the bass guitar and the whistle is that the whistle has a smaller wavelength (shorter distance between peaks) due to its high frequency, while the bass guitar has a larger wavelength (longer distance between peaks) due to its low frequency.